After only six months in Saudi Arabia, Jordan Henderson is set to return to Europe. An English club was preferred for the former Liverpool captain, but Ajax seem to have won the race to sign him. The player is in talks with Al-Ettifaq to negotiate a termination with them. There are no agents involved and the board is speaking directly to the player to finalise the terms of his exit.
The club is hopeful of parting with the midfielder amicably, and Henderson is expected to take a 75% pay cut to make the transfer to Ajax go through. The England international reportedly found it very difficult to adapt to the conditions in Saudi Arabia, causing him to push for a move only half a year after joining them.
Jordan Henderson in talks over Ajax move from Al-Ettifaq
The 33-year-old joined Al-Ettifaq from Liverpool for a £12 million fee this summer. But, after 17 league appearances this season, he is prepared to return to Europe. The player had offered himself to Barcelona in the last few weeks as well, with Juventus also in the mix. But, neither club accepted the offer till Ajax.
Once Jordan Henderson completes the transfer, he will become only the fourth Englishman ever to play for the Dutch giants.
As part of the transfer, Henderson might have to pay Al-Ettifaq some performance based add-ons as part of the termination agreement. Those details are set to be clarified by the coming weekend so that the midfielder can start playing once again.
